Charges widen in alleged Twiggs fraud ring

Dozens of counts have been filed against three more women in an alleged identity theft and tax return fraud ring, including cases in which tax returns were filed in the names of people who were in prison, authorities said.

The investigation of an initial complaint by a Twiggs County woman in 2008 has led to four women being charged with a combined 96 counts, Twiggs County Sheriff Darren Mitchum said Wednesday.

Sharon Chappell, 40, of Twiggs County, and 34-year-old Chasity Pitts, of Macon, are charged with selling victims’ names, birth dates and Social Security numbers to 37-year-old Jackie Young Elvine, who filed false tax returns and pocketed refunds, Lt. Robert Rodgers said.

Elvine, of Jeffersonville, was arrested May 24 and charged with 15 counts of computer fraud, 15 counts of theft by receiving stolen property and seven counts of identity theft. Chappell, also of Jeffersonville, was arrested June 8 on five counts of conspiracy to commit identity theft, five counts of conspiracy to commit theft by receiving stolen property, and five counts of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, authorities said.

Pitts and 32-year-old Latricia Griffin of Macon were arrested June 16. Pitts is charged with 37 counts of computer fraud while Griffin is charged with obstruction in connection with a search warrant served at her home, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office.

A phone message left for Pitts was not returned Wednesday. Phone numbers listed for Elvine and Griffin have been disconnected. A phone number listed for Chappell has been changed.

The women received as much as $1,000 for each identity they allegedly sold to Elvine. Some of the victims are connected -- in some cases family members selling other family members’ identities -- and others have no relationship to one another, Rodgers said.

Although officials could not provide a precise amount of money the cases involve, agent LaShaun Phillips of the Georgia Department of Revenue described the thefts as totaling in the “tens of thousands” of dollars.

She said investigators anticipate that they’ll find more victims as the investigation progresses.

“It’s just starting,” she said.

Authorities have identified eight victims, including two people who were in prison and discovered after their release that tax returns had been filed in their names, without their knowledge, Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he discovered at some point that the probe would require more investigative resources than Twiggs deputies could provide, and he contacted the Department of Revenue. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office also has assisted with the investigation.

Bibb County sheriff’s Lt. Paul Edwards said computers and records were seized when a search warrant was served at Griffin’s home June 16.

Authorities also seized several tax refund checks and bank statements.

“It’s going to take a long period of time to decipher that information,” Edwards said.

He said Griffin has been charged with obstruction in connection with the search warrant, and additional charges against her are pending.

The case dates to 2007, but authorities haven’t said when the alleged fraud stopped. At some point, Elvine subcontracted work for Macon-based Sample Tax Service, Rodgers said. A message left at the tax service office was not returned Wednesday.

She now works at S and Y Associates in Jeffersonville, Rodgers said, and filed taxes during the 2010 tax season.

More arrests are expected.

A Macon Regional CrimeStoppers tip regarding a person selling identities to Elvine led to one of the arrests, CrimeStoppers board Chairman Warren Selby said.

Anyone with information in the cases or who believes they might have been a victim is asked to call Rodgers at 945-3357 or Macon Regional CrimeStoppers at (877) 68-CRIME.

Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.

This story was originally published June 30, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Charges widen in alleged Twiggs fraud ring."